Midnight Facts for Insomniacs

The Most Dangerous Cult in the World: North Korea

The largest cult on earth has over 25 million followers, the 4th largest army in the world, and a nuclear arsenal. It also has bowling alleys and karaoke bars, and regularly hosts international marathons. Under three generations of iron-fisted dictators, the so-called Hermit Nation disconnected from the rest of the world, but with the rise of western-educated Kim Jong-un, North Korea is rapidly modernizing. Is the country bracing for change? What is life like in an isolated, rogue state? And is there any point in negotiating with a hostile, nuclear-armed enemy? Join Shane and Duncan for a nuanced exploration of the most feared and vilified country on earth.
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In this episode: 
The First Sino-Japanese War
The Military Police Reign Era
Kim Il-sung, the Tiger
Kim Joins the Soviet Army
World War II and Pearl Harbor
Establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea
The Korean War, 1950
Armistice, 1953
Syngman Rhee and South Korea
Juche
Kim-Il-sung's Cult of Personality
Kim and the Titanic
The Rise of Kim Jong-il
Cult of Kim Jong-il
Mount Paektu
Collapse of the Soviet Union
North Korean Famine
The Rise of Kim Jong-un
Purging of Enemies
The Execution of Jang Song-thaek
The Murder of Kim Jong-nam
North Korean Economy
The Black Market
The Drug Trade
Counterfeiting
Cyberwarfare
Reforms 
Sanctions
Nuclear Capabilities
Life in North Korea
Life in Pyongyang
The DMZ (the 38th Parallel)
North Korean Myth Busting
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Bizarre and Disturbing Fashion Trends Through the Ages

From paper dresses to giant metal erections, MFFI explores some of the weirdest historical fashion trends. 
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In this episode: 
Hobble skirts
Paper clothing
Powdered wigs
Codpieces
Foot Binding
Tudor Ruffs
Crakowes
Sabatons/Poulaines
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Misattributed Quotes, Theories, Discoveries, and Inventions

Only a sucker would believe that P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute." In the latest episode of MFFI, the boys once again undermine their own faith in humanity by exposing the inventors, scientists, authors, and orators who deserve none of the credit they've been given. 
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In this episode: 
Stigler's Law of Eponymy 
Mark Twain and Helen Keller
Halley's Comet
The Pythagorean Theorum
Hubble's Law (Edwin Hubble)
Alexander Friedmann
Georges Lemaitre and the Hubble Constant
Hubble and the Nobel Prize
Fermi Paradox Redux
The Invention of the Automobile
Henry Ford, William Klann, and the Assembly Line
Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz
Siegfried Marcus
The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda
Carriages
The Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell vs. Elisha Gray
Johan Philip Reis and the Singing Station
Antonio Meucci and the Teletrophono
Mark Twain Misattribution
Albert Einstein Misattribution
QAnon Misattribution (White Squall)
Marie Antoinette Misattribution
PT Barnum Misattribution
Marilyn Monroe Misattribution 
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Host Swap: The Science Behind Ghosts, Phantoms, and Apparitions

Is it reasonable to believe that ghosts actually exist? From a scientific standpoint, are there any credible explanations for ghost sightings? In the latest MFFI host-swap episode, Duncan debunks his own sketchy theories and then regales Shane with some of the world's earliest ghost stories. 
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In this episode: 
SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device)
Franz Mesmer
Animal Magnetism
Electromagnetic Fields
David Cohen and Heart Magnetism
Ghost Tale from Ancient Egypt
Ghost Tale from China (Mo-Tzu, Emperor Hsuan and Tu-Po)
Ghost Tale from Pliny the Younger
Ghost Tale from Plutarch (Damon and the Bath House)
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Decrypting Crypto: Bitcoin and NFTs

The boys take a break from espionage to explore bitcoin, the blockchain, and all things cryptocurrency. What even IS a Bitcoin, and how does it work? Is cryptocurrency a solid investment? Is Bitcoin really anonymous? And who the heck is Satoshi Nakomoto? 
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In this episode: 
History of Currency
Commodity Currency
Representative Currency
Fiat Currency
The Silver Standard
The Gold Standard
Fort Knox
Inflation
Satoshi Nakamoto
The White Paper
The Genesis Block
Laszlo Hanyecz and the Pizza Catastrophe
Bitcoin Mining and the Blockchain Explained
51% Attacks
Proof of Work
Dongles and Bitcoin Wallets
21 Million Max
Transaction Fees
Pseudonymity  
The FDIC
Mt. Gox
Fungibility and NFTs
The Electronic Elephant in the Room 
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Espionage Technology: From Lipstick Pistols to the Insectothopter

In the second installment of MFFI's espionage series, the boys investigate spying technology, from cryptography to microdots to The Thing. 
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In this episode: 
Dead Drops
Live Drops
Traps
Steganography
Scalp Tattoos
Mask Letters
Invisible Ink (the Sympathetic Stain)
Cryptography and Cryptology
Substitution Cypher
Frequency Distribution
Scytales
The Two Pillars of Classic Espionage: Cameras and Radio
Subminiature Cameras and the Minox
Microdots
Pigeon Cams
Heinrich Hertz and the Spark Gap Transmitter
Lee De Forest and the Vacuum tube
Amplitude Modulation (AM)
Practical Frequency Modulation (FM)
Bugs (Covert Listening Devices)
The Thing (The Great American Seal Bug), and RFID
Leon Theremin and Averell Harriman
Numbers Stations Redux and One-Time Pads
The Insectothopter
Dog-poop Transmitter
Lipstick Pistols
Rectal Toolkit
Shoe Phone (Heel-Transmitter)
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~
 

Spy vs. Spy: The History of Espionage

In the first installment of MFFI's espionage series, Shane gives Duncan an overview of the spy game, from its origins in postiquity through the Cold War and all the way to the modern intelligence industry. 
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In this episode: 
Sun Tzu and the Art of War
Francis Walsingham and Mary Queen of Scots
Alberto Ridolfi
Louis XIV and the Cabinet Noir
George Washington, America’s First Spy Master
The Culper Ring
Nathan Hale
James Armistead and Lafayette 
Benedict Arnold
The Great Game
Embassies and Diplomats
The Evidenzbureau
British Topographical & Statistic Department
The Military Information Division
The Secret Service Bureau
Directorate of Military Intelligence Section 5 (MI5)
Military Intelligence Section 6 (MI6)
Office of Strategic Services
The CIA
SIGINT
The NSA
Cipher Bureau 
The Black Chamber
KGB
The Cold War 
Life as a Spy
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Cursed Tourism: Unique and Surreal Tourist Attractions

One traveler’s dream vacation is another’s nightmare. This week, Shane shares his personal picks for some of the least appealing tourist destinations on earth, and a couple that are just plain bizarre.
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In this episode: 
Bubblegum Alley (San Luis Obispo)
Ark Encounter (Kentucky)
Aokigahara ("Suicide Forest,” Japan)
Isla De Las Munecas (Island of the Dolls, Mexico)
Juju Love Island (South Korea)
Carhenge (Car Art Reserve, Nebraska)
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International Cryptids: The Strange and Obscure

In the second MFFI host-swap episode, Duncan teaches Shane  about a bevvy of baffling and little-known cryptids from around the globe. 
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In this episode: 
Indrid Cold (the Smiling Man)
The Fresno Alien
Popobawa
Tikbalang
Melon Heads 
Skunk Ape
The Green Children of Woolpit
Kelpie (Water Horse)
The Bunny Man
The Pope Lick Monster
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Marketing Boomsplode: Ads that Crashed and Burned

In the latest "what the hell were they thinking" edition of MFFI, the boys trace the history of advertising and then call out the worst marketing blunders of all time. 
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In this episode: 
Early advertisements
The evolution of logos
Sign boards, trademarks, and town criers
The rise of the printing press
Trade cards, print ads, newspapers, and trade publications
The origin of false advertising
The father of modern advertising, Thomas J Barratt
Pears Soap
Brand curation and positive associations
N.W. Ayer and Son, the first American advertising agency
Diamond rings are vile
Sex sells
Helen Lansdowne and the Woodbury Soap Company
"A skin you love to touch"
Richard Nixon and the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970
The FTC and advertising regulations
Kendall Jenner's Pepsi debacle
Dove (doh) soap
Bloomingdales spikes the eggnog
Sprite sucks
H&M & WTF
Peloton cycles into infamy
Hyundai commits public-relations sepukku 
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~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~